Tag: #motherhood

Have you been apple picking yet this season? My grandma happens to have apple trees in her yard! We have been lucky enough to have (basically) unlimited access to apples this season! I have the perfect activity for apple abundance. If there are no apples to spare, just use the apple ends that nobody will eat anyways. I often find use of our scraps. I use them for Saylors sensory when it applies to the current lesson.

Saylor used his fine motor skills and hand eye coordination to create apple inspired art! I encouraged him to stamp apples on his paper using green and red paint. I would have included yellow too, but we were all out!

You’ll see that he decided to turn it into a little finger painting session as well, so we rolled with it! That’s just what you have to do with the little one activities! He is pretty young still and learning structure as we go. Doing little lessons like this now will make it easier for him to follow instruction later, when he has the focus to go with it.

I talked about colors, shapes, sizes, and textures out loud while Saylor created his art. I also encouraged him to count the apple slices on the paper. (of course he can’t count yet- however, he can begin to recognize numbers as separate beings/begin to listen to their patterns.)

This activity is easy to put together- and didn’t require a trip to the craft store! Even the kitten joined in!
Alright, time for a cliche mama coffee break. Enjoying your remaining week!

Today I made sensory bottles for Saylor. He absolutely loves them! I have made many sensory bottles, but this container has to be my favorite! It’s a good size, easy lids, and durable! If you’ve ever been around a one year old you’ll know that ‘durable’ is very important, ha!

I make sensory bottles so Saylor can observe items that I don’t want ending up in his mouth. I write on the sensory bottles to display each item as a word. Although Saylor obviously can’t read, he can observe words as separate beings with various letters. He is able to observe shapes of letters and patterns in each word. I make sure to communicate about the items in the jar on a daily basis. “What color is in the jar?” “What does this sound like?” “Big Leaves!” “Little leaves!” Etc. Repetition is so helpful- just a little bit every day will help with developmental connections!

Sensory Bottles

You Will Need

•Empty peanut butter jars or Wowbutter jars for my no nuts friends

•Spray Paint (optional for fashion reasons)

•Items of your choice for the jars

•Tape

• Sharpie Marker

See! Easy Peasy! I will reuse my jars for different items in the future. Whatever is related to our lesson at the time. I recommend a little glue under the lid with liquid filled jars. Just in case!!

Still working on our ‘things that grow’ lesson plan over here! This area could be dragged out for WEEKS if I wanted it to! However, I’ll probably wrap it up this week just to keep things fresh and new. Speaking of fresh and new, Saylor learned all about fruits and veggies today!

Sensory

Saylor has a bit of a diaper rash so I wanted to do sensory that allowed him to air his tush out. This tub has been one of my favorite items for sensory projects. I’ve filled it with water, leaves, flowers, sand, dirt, etc! It makes such a great observation area while keeping things contained. When I worked at a the daycare center we used sensory tubs that I am sure cost eighty dollars or more! This little tub has worked just fine and I am guessing it was under twenty bucks! So be creative if you’re getting a sensory tub and don’t feel the need to over spend.

The plastic vegetables we used can be found from Melissa and Doug. (one of my favorite toy brands) I requested these vegetables last Christmas on Saylor’s list. It’s important to instill the importance of good health from a young age. Kiddos learn from example and I wanted him to have examples of the best foods to eat! You will see that I sometimes use “fresh” fruits and veggies during a lesson plan and that is often because they are going bad and I don’t want to completely waste them. When I don’t have any of that around its nice to have these plastic fruits and veggies for permanent backup!

(Sensory)Math

I encouraged Saylor to count the vegetables as he found them in the bubble water. I also demonstrated counting them out loud on my own while he observed. I repeated this activity a few times to help him make connections. I usually only counted to about three or four-attempting not overwhelm him.

I encouraged Saylor to observe the shapes of each vegetable. I talked about the similarities of colors, shapes, and sizes while he observed. He also observed spacial dimensions while moving the vegetables around in the water.

(Sensory) Large Motor Skills

Saylor found it entertaining to throw the veggies down the porch steps! He watched them roll down the steps while observing the sounds. He used hand eye coordination and large motor skills to toss the veggies out of the tub. I retrieved them a few times so that he could practice his throw/aim. He practiced many squats while bending up and down to grasp the veggies from the tub!

(Sensory) Language

Saylor observed language the entire sensory activity. I constantly talk out loud about colors, shapes, numbers, textures, etc. I encouraged Saylor to repeat some of the simple words and he has made a few close attempts! 🙂 It’s always important to communicate about what you are doing with infants because they have no idea. They can observe what is happening around them but they want to learn how to connect these observations with words. They need our help! The more talking they hear from you, the easier it will be for them to learn words. So narrate the entire day basically! You are now their favorite author!

So as you can see this simple sensory project worked with three different learning areas. All I had to do was fill a tub with bubbles, water, plastic vegetables, and make an effort to communicate the learning areas! Saylor loves sensory and it’s one of the easiest way for a baby to make observations about the world. Ever wonder why they put EVERYTHING in their mouths? They are just like dogs in that way- it’s simply their way of observation. They haven’t learned how to communicate so they solely use their senses to explore the world. That’s why its so important that we teach them language, we can’t have them sucking on their feet forever, ha! 🙂

Language (Reading)

Saylor observed a couple books with fruits and vegetables! I encouraged him to turn pages on his own. Once he masters turning pages on his own, he will be more likely to read independently during his free play. I also think its important for him to have a purpose when we read. He is such an independent little man and wants to be included in the activities. Who doesn’t want their kid to enjoy reading though?! We all do. I read him pages of the books out loud. (when he let me before turning the page) I talked about colors, shapes, and words in the book while he observed. I pick up books at the library related to every lesson plan we do. I like to have them availible for Saylor as any time.

Music

For music we tapped the vegetables on Saylor’s Drum! He also decided to throw vegetables to make it all that more intense. I encouraged him to tap with the same beats I demonstrated. I also encouraged him to dance and sing along to various songs! (Also as I demonstrated, ha!) HE LOVED IT! Saylor thinks he is such a funny guy when he does a little dance. (probably because I laugh every time.)We (Mitch, me, and Saylor) all love this drum so much! It’s a REMO drum that our friends got Saylor for his birthday. He loves to express himself and make his own beats. We made the music relate to veggies today! (creative I know, HA!)

Again, I like to use some of our items for activity multiple times. It makes it easier and creates repetition. (helpful for babies when making connections) I used the plastic vegetables for sensory, music, math, language, and movement today! Score! Stay creative my friends!

I mean…who doesn’t like Audrey Hepburn? Anyways, what a meaningful quote! I just started a new lesson on gardens and growing. It’s a very important topic because gardening promotes health,responsibility, and dedication! These are some important qualities that I want to share with my kiddos! Gardening can also introduce early science lessons. Of course my little Saylor isn’t going to question why plants grow but consider an older age group. Encouraging our kids to notice a plants growth over time shows them that caring and nurturing attitudes can create wonderful results! Later in life they can use this skill not only in the garden but in day to day relationships. It’s not always smooth sailing teaching the little ones patience but it’s totally worth it.

Caring Importance

I demonstrated washing cabbage and radish this morning to share the importance of caring. It’s really important for me to show my kids the benefits of caring for the things we engage in (such as eating) and not just going about life mindlessly. I encouraged Saylor to join in and help me on his own. He used fine motor skills and hand eye coordination to wash the veggies on his own. I also encouraged him to observe colors, textures, and shapes. While observing I communicated about the qualities out loud in order to promote language skills. I encouraged Saylor to repeat colors back- no such luck today! I also want to be forward about the environmental changes I had to make before finishing this lesson. I attempted bringing this activity outside and letting Saylor observe it all in the grass. Instead the whole yard was his playground! It’s so easy to overstimulate these little ones. So if you’re ever wondering, “why wont my kid sit down and do such and such?” you are not alone! Saylor is not always interested in holding still to observe either. When this happens I just try to create a change in our environment that allows him to focus easier. This morning that change was strapping him into his high chair. I never just forget the activity and move on to whatever it is he wants to do. I think it’s important to share the importance of structure and rules at a young age so that it’s not a culture shock later in life. When the activity was over I let him climb around the yard until his little heart desired! He loved it! He also enjoyed the activity once I made it easier for him to focus on. Babes love free play and believe me I am all about stepping back to allow that. They are also craving your guidance and structure. Even when they don’t know it! It helps me to be consistent with our activities. I usually get them knocked out before nap time and then the later part of the day is dedicated to more laid back and flexible activities.(walks at the park, free play, etc.)

Art

One way I like to make things easy is using our sensory items again for art. Repetition is a helpful way to help kids build connections. We used the same radish sliced from sensory to create some red radish art! Saylor used fine motor skills and hand eye coordination to direct his radish slices in the paint. He observed colors, textures, and shapes while I encouraged him to talk about them. I always get asked how I keep Saylor from making a mess during art. The answer? I don’t. Let those kids make a mess from time to time- it’s good for their soul. It’s also good for creating a sense of control and boundaries. I know you’re thinking I am full of it, but one of the most beneficial ways of learning is hands on! What an easy opportunity to let our kids be hands on. I find it does make my life easier when I am prepared for clean up before the mess even begins. When Saylor does art I get out a wet wash cloth and prepare the clean up before I even turn him loose on the art. This gives me bit more control during clean up when hes trying to grab my hair, clothes, etc!

I keep the occasional finger paint originals. I also like to create items relevant to our current lessons if it works out. Do you think Saylor will look back at his art puns with embarrassment? HA!

Sensory

I did not create a specific spot for sensory today, but I included it in all of our projects. Saylor used his senses to observe colors, textures, shapes, and sounds during these activities. I talked about the colors, shapes, and textures out loud to help Saylor make connections with words and his surroundings. I always think about how it’s really a blessing that I am so good at talking to myself. This world is brand new for our babies and they need you to talk about everything out loud to better learn!

Saylor is learning about the color green today! We spent the first part of our morning outside just exploring all the green nature around here. So in other words… almost everything, ha! I am excited for us to find a home of our own soon, but I have to admit I will miss all of this nature a bit when we no longer live in the country! What a perfect place for Saylor to explore his first bits of nature!

Large Motor Skills

Saylor practiced his walking in the soft, damp grass. He observed the textures and temperatures with his toes. I spoke out loud about the color green to help promote language skill relating to each green object. I encouraged Saylor to walk with me and follow me around the yard. He used large motor skills to practice taking steps and pick himself back up each time he took a fall.

Sensory

After exploring the green nature around the yard, I brought out a sensory project. I placed various green items from Saylor’s toys into the green grass. I encouraged him to explore the items and that went well for a few moments. He is very determined to walk soon and he eventually got distracted towards that instead. I always think I wont be able to find enough of one color for our sensory projects but you’ll be surprised what you can find around the house when you look. A green flip flop for example, ha! Whatever works!

Art

Saylor created his art work using green grass with white paint. I use non toxic crayola tempera paint for basically all art projects. I encouraged him to spread the grass around on the paper using his fingers and hands. He used fine motor skills to maneuver the grass around as he wanted. He explored color, texture, and shapes while creating his art. I continued to talk out loud about the color green during art in order to help him make language connections. I encouraged him to say “green” but no such luck today, ha! He did try though, using some other babble, and that’s good enough for me!

I’m so sorry for my lengthy hiatus. (for the maybe three people who follow my blog or at least creep at it from social media outlets) Our family recently moved from Columbus Ohio back to Fort Wayne Indiana. I have been busy adjusting and taking care of our general information changes such as mail,doctors,dentists, etc while also making time to visit the zillion people who want to see us since our return. It seems like things are finally starting to settle down again now that we have given everyone their initial visit. So back to business!

I have my in home childcare plan all ready and will hopefully get to put it into action as soon as we find a house. Until then I am solely a stay at home mama which has been my favorite task yet! I have recently started putting lesson plans into place to help me get in a routine. Saylor is a solo student for the time being but I want to be in the habit of lesson planning before I accept outside kids. This week we are learning about gardens,planting, and growing in hopes that spring will soon be here! 🙂

Teaching about gardens is one of my favorite topics for younger kids. It not only provides tools for growing wonderful fruits, vegetables, and plants but also helps them build so many other lifelong skills. Gardening teaches to spend time caring for something outside of yourself from an early age. It teaches the importance of offering your time,care, and patience to see growth. This is such an important lesson that they may not comprehend immediately but having the experience will make connecting the dots so much easier later in life. Gardening will also provide them will skills in science and knowledge about the earth. I don’t know about you but I am thankful for our earth and I would like to keep it a livable place for a long while! Teaching kids at a young age about caring for our earth is so beneficial in the long run.

Saylor will be 8 months in two days so his lesson plans are still pretty basic. Here is the painting activity we did today. I placed contact paper on the floor and provided various colors of paint. I also placed Saylor’s plastic vegetables on the contact paper and let him do free painting while using the veggies as tools. If you don’t have plastic vegetables you can use fresh vegetables of any kind. Since we have plastic vegetables I have quite the variety for his art. SPOILER ALERT: Get clean up tools ready before you even start this project. When the contact paper dries you can create adorable sun catchers for the window.

Encourage your kids to observe the colors,mixing,textures,shapes,etc during this art project. When the sun catchers are finished you can continue encouraging kids to observe colors, shapes,lines,etc.

Today we did sensory projects with leftover trimmings from our Christmas tree. I am obsessed with the smell of pine so instead of throwing it all out I first decorated our home and then used the rest for Saylor’s daily activities! First I let Saylor observe the pine branches on his play mat. He observed textures,colors,smells,shapes, and sizes! He was also able to work on hand eye coordination and grasping. When he was done observing I saved the branches for art. I try to spread out our main activities and stick free play in the middle. This gives him a chance to take in what they just learned and wind down. A baby mind is taking in so many things it’s best not to overwhelmed them with activity after activity.

After Saylor woke up from his second nap we did art with the pine branches. Saylor used his grasping and hand eye coordination to paint his picture. He observed textures,shapes,colors, and smells. He practiced his independence by painting on his on.I put him in his high chair and gave him the tools and then stepped back and allowed him to use critical thinking skills. He loves it! He loves to be in charge, ha! Just like mom. However, in order to teach it’s important to step back and allow our kids to practice these things for themselves.

I also gave saylor a pine branch bath but i’m not going to share those pictures on a public blog. He used the branches as bath toys! We practiced splashing using the branches as tools. Saylor loved all of these activities. Of course keep an eye to make sure no pine needles or sap is swallowed! 🙂

Over the past couple days we spent our time making Christmas ornament gifts! I wanted Saylor to create a gift on his own and this is what I went with! There are so many salt dough recipes online for reference but here’s the one I picked!

1cup salt

1cup flour

1/2 cup water

I mixed up these three easy ingredients while Saylor was asleep! Then I rolled them out and cut various shapes just like cut out cookies. Take it from my husband though, they don’t have that same sweet flavor! 🙂 When you are done cutting out all of your shapes make sure to stick a straw through to create a hole for your ribbon!

I let these cuties dry for two days! I flipped them over once I felt they were strong enough to make a flip. I just did this to make sure they were extra dry before painting! It’s not required.

Once the shapes were dry I dabbed colors of my choice on each ornament. Some of the ornaments were for certain relatives so I used colors that would please them most. Some I just stuck with a Christmas color theme! Then I placed the ornament on Saylor’s high chair tray and let him do work! 🙂 He used his fingers and hands to maneuver the shape on his tray! He practiced grasping while observing colors, textures, shapes, and smells! I kept a close eye to make sure he kept his hands out of his mouth. A pretty rare occurrence at the moment, ha! We painted 4-5 ornaments per day to ensure I wasn’t boring him to death in one sitting.

I let the ornaments dry out for 1-2 days and then I sprayed acrylic sealer in gloss finish.

Now pick out some festive ribbons and you’ve got yourself a hand made keepsake ornament! 🙂

We had a blast making them and they will always be so meaningful for me to put on our tree. Make sure to have your kids make a couple for you and a couple for your themselves for taking with them when adulthood rolls around the corner! I know I appreciate having so many childhood keepsakes of my own.

Saylor and I have been busy making all sorts of art projects this week! I want him to have plenty of time to digest all of his self made decorations! 🙂 I cut out the shape for a tree with a star and taped them to our front closet door. Then I gave Saylor a couple different colors of paper to finger paint. When the papers were dry I cut out various shapes for his tree ornaments! The wreath we made is from the cardboard from our mama mimis pizza. I saved it because I just knew it would come in handy for some type of future craft. I put green finger pant on the cardboard circle and gave him bubble wrap to spread the paint around. He observed colors, shapes, textures, sounds, and smells while creating his wreath art. He loved it! When the circle dried I cut a circle in the middle and added the red bow using construction paper. We also made Christmas cards using green footprint shapes! I dipped his foot in green finger paint and then obviously created a tree out of the shape on my own. We plan to send these out for relatives later this week. I am waiting to print out a festive picture to go along with the card. We live three hours away from our families so it’s important for us to show them we care through mail. Facebook doesn’t always seem as personal because it takes little to no effort to send something on facebook. Besides that I haven’t taught Saylor the ins and outs of facebook comments just yet. Also, my inlaws deleted me so we would be a ghost to them without good old fashion mail! 🙂

We made the same tree shapes to hang on the counter where Saylor often sits in his bouncy to watch me cook. He has already been observing the shapes and colors of his art.

So. Much. Art. for one week I know! Like I said I wanted to make sure Saylor got the most out of observing it all. Infant art is so important because not only does it help babies work on their creative abilities but it also gives them a new perspective with colors, shapes, textures, smells, and sometimes sounds! I try to play music while we are doing art as well. This is a good tool for helping infants build connections to whatever it is they are working on. So what better time to do it than while he is learning so many new skills! It’s like the story about chewing a certain gum while you study will help you do better on a test if you chew the same gum while taking the test. Music is going to be our gum for this example and you can call Bing Crosby the gum king!

Well off to finish my coffee! How very Gilmore Girl of me….Speaking of the Gilmore Girls I am so sick of seeing their updates lately! I’ll save that for a post on my evil twin blog account.

Saylor made a birthday card for this grandma (mimi) today! Since Saylor is getting so good at grasping he created the art all by himself! (mostly) When he was too little to paint with his hands or when we are creating holiday cards in bulk I sometimes just used his footprint and added detail on my own. Since this is a birthday card and he has been grasping up a storm I decided to let him do some free art! I dipped flower tops from yesterdays sensory in paint and let Saylor move them around on a sheet of paper. I cut the paper out ahead of time so that I wouldn’t alter any of his art expression later. 🙂 Saylor worked on his fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, and large motor skills while creating the birthday card. He observed colors,textures, and shapes all while creating a personal gift. I took pictures of him creating and will send them through mail along with the card! This was such an easy way to practice the act of giving with Saylor even before he is able to mentally understand what he is doing. We will be able to look back and see that it’s become habit. My babies may not end up with a passion for giving like me but I want to teach them how important it is in a world full of distractions! 🙂